Alberta Ghost Towns

[JiriHrdina]

One of the things I've been interested in for a long time is abandoned stuff - buildings, businesses, farmer's markets, barns, etc. It is an interest I largely put on hold when I had a kid - but this summer I've been getting back into it - and in particular have been hitting the highways and backroads on some weekends, seeking cool old stuff.

I'm planning a couple more trips before the summer is over, as once the snow flies, I don't feel as comfortable on the back roads.

As such, just looking for any personal recommendations on areas or specific destinations to try. There are some great online resources about Alberta Ghost towns so no need to link to those - looking more for personal recommendations.

[lazypucker]

Edmonton downtown on Sundays.

Actually, the whole of Edmonton.

You are welcome

[Wood]

I wouldn't mind seeing some links to helpful sites, I'm interested as well but don't know much about the topic

[JiriHrdina]

http://www.ghosttowns.com/canada/alberta/alberta.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/04...n_5139152.html
http://www.ghosttownpix.com/alberta/about.html

There is also an extensive list on wikipedia of Alberta Ghost Towns which has proven to be an inconsistent resource. It has led me to something interesting spots, but also has led me out to the middle of nowhere.

There are some great blogs as well.

And a good map:
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...739&dg=feature

[Chill Cosby]

I don't have anything to add regarding personal recommendations, but I just wanted to share in your excitement for abandoned infrastructure and ghost towns. Absolutely love that stuff! Something so neat and ominous about it.

[Violator]

Me and the gf went looking for lille(ended up getting the truck stuck in a creek)and it turns out we didn't actually find it but we found another settlement or buildings and i got a couple good pictures.We both like ghost towns and its a small hobby of ours.

[combustiblefuel]

If you like ghost towns stop by my home town of Etzikom . They have the national Windmill museum..
The rest of the museum is neat tho. It has pieces of buildings how they stood back in the day.

It even has a piece of my grandfather and mother's old shop . They were the first general store.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

I remember going to ez town as a kid and seeing a goat.

[firebug]

I'd check out the geocaching.com website for help as well.

View their map for the area you are considering and then read the descriptions and logs for caches at the locations you are interested in. The comments will give you an idea of what you are likely to see and what the current conditions are like.

[saillias]

Fort Mac will be a good one when the oil patch dries up

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by saillias

Fort Mac will be a good one when the oil patch dries up

Will that happen before the summer ends, like Jiri asked?

[TheCommodoreAfro]

Once you're done with Alberta, I would recommend a trip over my way to find some of the creepiest ghost things you'll find. Here's a selection of abandoned amusement parks in Japan: http://www.tofugu.com/2011/08/17/jap...-parks-creepy/

[troutman]

Lake Minnewanka:

http://www.takemytrip.com/09albertabc/08n_09a.htm

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by TheCommodoreAfro

Once you're done with Alberta, I would recommend a trip over my way to find some of the creepiest ghost things you'll find. Here's a selection of abandoned amusement parks in Japan: http://www.tofugu.com/2011/08/17/jap...-parks-creepy/

Yeah this would be a "dream trip" - though one that is tough to convince my wife on. Closer to home there is a six flags down in NO that I think is abandoned after being flooded out.

Even closer to home, there is a the old Flintstones park in BC but from what I read it was not just closed but completely demolished.

In Northern Alberta there is a place called Uranium City (referenced in the Huffington Post piece) that looks amazing.

But there is a lot of stuff that I can get to in one day just due to the boom/bust nature of AB's history.

[guzzy]

There is a quad trail north of coleman/blairmore area that takes you to the town of Lille. It is a 95 km trek and takes around 11 hours to complete. I have not taken this ride yet but i intend to. The town was disassembled in 1912 but the old coker and foundations for the buildings still exist.

If you are quadding/Atv'ing in that area there is also an old plane crash site (Dakota crash site) south of Coleman. A DC-3 plane crashed in 1946. It is a declared heritage site.

[wretched34]

My Fiancee and I are into the old ghost towns as well. Not so much so, that we will drive hours on end to find them, but if we ever pass through one on our way to a destination, we'll certainly stop and take pictures.

We did a road trip to Vegas a few years ago, and came back up through Reno, the NE tip of Cali, Oregon, Washington, and then B.C. We hit ghost town after ghost town through Nevada, Cali and Oregon. It was incredible, lots of great pictures. I'd suggest making that drive if you get a chance, just not in the winter like we did, some of the mountain passes were rather terrifying. I guess that's what we get for avoiding the main routes though.

[Barnes]

Not in Alberta but something that meant a great deal to me...

I moved to Calgary from Montreal in 1996 when I was 16. For as long as I can remember we used to spend either Christmas or New Years at a ski resort close to Mt Tremblant called Grey Rocks. It was established in 1905 by George Wheeler whose granddaughter Lucille was the first North American to win an Olympic downhill medal in 1956. The Snow Eagle Ski School was one of the best in North America.

The resort was privately owned and was losing money for years but the owner offsetting loses with investments returns handled by....... Bernie Madoff. When S hit the fan Grey Rocks closed in 2009.

It once looked like the Laurentian's version of the Overlook Hotel. Always fun exploring the old rooms and passageways.


1938

And now, seriously creepy.







More here: http://www.urbexplayground.com/rurex...bandoned-hotel

[Hevishot]

Originally Posted by guzzy

There is a quad trail north of coleman/blairmore area that takes you to the town of Lille. It is a 95 km trek and takes around 11 hours to complete. I have not taken this ride yet but i intend to. The town was disassembled in 1912 but the old coker and foundations for the buildings still exist.

If you are quadding/Atv'ing in that area there is also an old plane crash site (Dakota crash site) south of Coleman. A DC-3 plane crashed in 1946. It is a declared heritage site.

95 Kms is taking you 11 hours? How many beer breaks is that? You used to be able to stage from just behind the Fas Gas towards the frank slide interpretive center and take the gold creek route down to lille. Takes less than an hour. Plane crash ride is pretty well used now and people even hike to it if you are without a qwad or bike.

[Robbob]

There are some interesting gold rush towns I went through in BC. Barkerville was an interesting stop as a bunch of the building are being maintained to preserve the history of the rush. There was a short period of time when Barkerville was once one of the largest populated places west of Chicago.

[Ironhorse]

Big Valley AB is not a ghost town, but it does have a ghost roundhouse from when the railway was active. Mostly foundations and a few walls, but the turn table pit is still in place. I believe it is a heritage site? The fudge is the best there too, or so Mrs. Ironhorse tells me.